Method of preserving meats.



FRANK J. GAR NER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

METHOD OF PRESERVING MEATS.

No Drawing.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. GARDNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Method of Preserving Meats, of which the following is, a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to the preservation of meats, such as hams, bacon and other smoked meats, and it has for its object to provide a 'new and improved method of protecting the meats from air and moisture.

I-Ieretofo-re it has been proposed to rotect smoked meats from the injurious e ects dust of carbonatemf lime, ground slate, or.

other impalpable powder, for the purpose ofovercoming the stickiness of the asphaltum.-

This process, while it has been eifective so far as the exclusion of air or molsture 180011- cerned, has not been satisfactory owing to the fact that notwithstanding the application of the powder the asphaltum becomes very sticky, and this interferes seriously with the commercial utility of the process. By my improved process, however, I avoid the objections incident to the use of asphaltum and provide a coating'which is impervious .to air and moisture and does not have the objectionable stickiness of the prior coatings referred to. My improved process, generically considered, consists in applying to the meats to be preserved a coating of molten bitumen -or asphaltum, or equivalent material, and then inclosing the bitumen in a non-sticky envelop. This envelop is best made of a coat ing of varnish, or equivalent material, which,

first wrapped in paraflin paper and then in parchment paper, after which they are inclosed in a knit cloth bag which is drawn tightly and tied. They are then inclosed in a coating of bitumen, which is best efli'ected byvdipping the wrapped meat in molten bitumen or asphaltum, which is not-liquid at ordinary temperatures. In this way a thin coating of asphalt is applied to the entire surface of the bagcontaining the meat,

which when ls comparatively hard although somewhatisti'cky. rnAfter being dipped, the bagsglare hung up until the asphalt is hard enough td'stop dripping, when a substantially n'pn sticky envelop is applied to the coating of bitumen. The best material for this Patented Dec. 1-2, 1911. Application filed September 28, 1910. Serial No. 584,207.

purpose is a: varnish comppsed of. about equal parts of elastic floor varnish, I

Japan drier and gasolene. In some cases ,it

is desirable to use a larger percentage of gasolene with the drier," as-the proportions should be such as to give the quickest drying. The'non-sti'cky envelop is applied by dipping the meats 1n the varnish afteruthe bitumen has been applied as above described, after which they when dry are ready for packing and shipping.

Instead of forming the non-sticky envelop by using the composition above described,

are hung up to dry and" any otherequivalent substance or' composition which will give substantially the same efiect may be employed. a

I am aware that it has heretoforebeen proposed to preserve meats by coating them with bitumen, or by coating them with rosin or parafiin, and it has also been proposed to inclose meats in paraffin and then apply 'an external coating of a mixture com posed of gelatin and glycerin, but none of such prior processes, so far as I am aware, have been elfective for the purpose and have not been successfully employed commercially.

I believe myself to be the first in the art to preserve meats by first coating them with bitumen and then inclosing-the bitumen in a substantially non-sticky envelop as described, by which combination the meats are completely inclosed and protected from air and moisture and may be kept indefinitely under very adverse conditions without deterioraprising inclosing the meat in a coating of bitumen, and then inclosing the bitumen in a substantially non-sticky envelop applied in liquid form.

3. A method of preserving meats, comprising dipping the meat in molten bitumen,

' the bitumen.

4. A method of preserving meats, comprising inclosing the meat in a coating of bitumen, and then applying a coating of varnish to the bitumen.

5. A method 0-=pre$erving meats, comprising inclosing the meat in a coating of bitumen, and then covering the bitumen with a substantially nor sticky coating composed of Varnishand a suitable drier.

6. A method of preserying meats, comprising inclosing theimeat in a of bitumen, and then covering the bitumen with a substantially non-sticky coating composed of varnish, Japan drier and gasolenea 7. A method of preserving meats, comprising Wrapping the meat, and dipping the wrapped package in molten bitumemand afterward dipping the package in a fluid ca-pable* offorming a substantially non- 

